The Last Act
by Liv909
Summary: This is my version of The Last Song but it's Victorious.
1. Going to Cali

**This is another Victorious story called ****The Last Act****. It's based off of ****The Last Song**** by Nicholas Sparks. The characters will be Victorious characters. I own nothing. I'm not Dan Schneider or Nicholas Sparks. Before we begin, let me give you guys the list of the characters...**

**Jade West- Ronnie **

**Beck Oliver- Will**

**Andre Harris- Scott**

**The little boy that was in Jade's audition video in ****Helen Comes Back****/ Jade's little brother mentioned in What I Love (Name: Luke)- Jonah**

**Cat Valentine- Blaze**

**Ryder Daniels- Marcus**

**Erwin Sikowitz (Jade and Luke's father, )-Steve, Ronnie and Jonah's father.**

**Tori Vega- Ashley**

**The guy that played Jade's father in ****Wok Star**** (Name: John) - Brian (Stepfather)**

**So far, Trina and Robbie have no character yet but if I find a spot, I'll fill it in. For now, expect no Robbie or Trina. Cat'll be a little OOC because she's Blaze but everyone else will seem accurate. It'll be original, not a plagiarism rip-off of the movie/book. Enjoy, guys! Remember, I own nothing. **

Jade's eyes fluttered open. She looked to her right. Sand and nothingness basically flew past her. Her little brother in the back was listening to a movie. Her mother was driving. When Kelly noticed her daughter waking up, she smirked and kept driving. Jade sighed, digging through her monkey fur purse for a pack of gum. Once she pulled out a piece and started chewing on it, Kelly's palm reached out towards her daughter. Sighing, Jade dug through her purse, pulled out another piece and gave it to her mom.

"Thank you. Was that so hard? You could probably gain a fortune selling gum from your purse on the black market." she said lightly. Jade just sighed and sank back in her seat. The car was quiet until Jade's mom led the car over a pothole. Growling, the seventeen-year old girl turned to face her mother. "Sorry!" exclaimed Kelly, raising her hands. "It was a pothole! Take in mind that we're not gliding around in Escalades! The ride will be a little bumpy." defended Jade's mother. Jade's little brother Luke spoke up from the back seat.

"I know Jade hates it but I love our station wagon!" Luke piped up from the back. Jade turned around and stared at her brother.

"I thought you were watching a movie." she sneered, snapping her gum loudly. Jade felt victorious when she saw her mom tense up. Luke shrugged

"I can still hear, you know." Jade just turned away and stared at the whole reason she was taking a cross-country trip. Everything just poured over her. Five years ago, life was happy for Jade. Her father and mother lived in the same townhouse in New York. Jade was a prodigy actress who was in the Broadway play 13. Jade made a best friend: Ariana. But slowly, after the play, things began dissolving around Jade. Fame was getting to her. Ariana was moving on up in the world. She had moved on to bigger and better things. Meanwhile, nobody would take Jade. With barely any money, Jade's father Erwin and her mom were desperate to get a job. Jade's brother was only 5 so Kelly had to stay home and watch him. Erwin tried to get a teaching job in New York. He was able to become a substitute but it didn't get much money. Jade remembers her parents fighting practically over everything. Bills. The press. School. The kids. It was just so much. Jade remembered the one night she returned home from school. Her mom had just come home a half-hour before her. Luke's babysitter was gone; Luke was playing video games. There was a note on the counter from her father. That was...it. He left to move out to California, live with his brother and that was it. Erwin was Jade's acting teacher and agent. When he was gone, Jade refused to even look at a script again.

Since then, her mom started dating. She was serious with this one guy for about four months now: John. John was alright. Luke kind of liked him. Jade figured her mother was desperate for a male figure for her children so she just got him. John worked in a large law office in the city. The family moved into John's large house in Haworth, NJ. Jade was annoyed that her entire life changed to accomodate John. He worked in the city anyway! How come he couldn't live there? Jade missed all of her friends from the city. She had slowly begun to make new friends at the local high school but it wasn't like New York. It would never be like New York.

Music blared from the radio. It wasn't normal music. As soon as Jade heard the singing, she groaned and kicked the door to her side. Her mother glared at her. "Jade...stop." she said sternly.

"No, Mom! What the hell are you doing with that damn soundtrack in the radio?" Jade exclaimed.

"Language, Jadelyn." Kelly said, head nodding subtly towards Luke in the back.

"Answer me!" screeched Jade. "When Erwin left, I swore I would never see, hear, or speak anything about acting or my past acting. Ever!" Kelly's heart broke on the inside. Luke didn't question why Jade called their dad Erwin. Ever since he left, she did that in the rare moments they spoke about them. Kelly breathed deeply.

"Jadelyn, _13_ is a part of who you are. I'll be damned if you're just going to forget about it because your father left."

Jade flumped back in her seat, whipping her hood up. "I don't even know why we're going out to California. We've been traveling for three days now. I could've been down at the shore, walking on the boardwalk with my friends. It's summer. I want to have fun. Going out here and staying with Erwin _will not_ be fun." Luke piped up in the back, saying that seeing _Dad _again should be fun. "Shut up! Nobody's talking to you!" exclaimed Jade.

"Jadelyn!" scolded Kelly. She was thrown into silence when Jade whipped a nasty glare at her mother. Kelly sighed and composed herself for a second before continuing. "Luke is right. Seeing your father again will get you guys speaking again. We hope this summer will be a nice bonding experience. And as for your friends? They're not a good influence on you."

"It's not fair, Mom! The Jersey Shore cast was supposed to be arriving at Seaside today! I was going to go down with the girls!" Kelly frowned.

"Why? So you could come back with _another _piercing and tattoo?" she said with a sharp glare. The light glinted off of two tiny piercings on Jade's nose and eyebrow. A tattoo of a star on her right inner arm stood out against Jade's pale skin.

"What's wrong with my piercings and tattoo?" Jade shrieked.

"Jade, you're a very pretty girl, don't get me wrong. But all these tattoos and highlights and piercings are ruining you. People look at you. People judge. People-" Jade cut her mother off.

"Mom! I don't care what people think of me! I am my own person!" Jade yelled. Kelly quickly shut down the argument and admitted defeat. Her seventeen-year old daughter leaned back in the old station wagon seat and smiled. The car puttered along the highways towards Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Within two hours, Jade noticed they were on Sunset Boulevard. Kelly West had pulled the car into a plaza on the right. One of the places she noticed was Sunset Foot Spa. A banner on the front said "Home to Foon-Yee" whoever Foon-Yee was. Luke, by now, was in the middle of his Scooby Doo movie and pressing the pause button, slipped off his head phones.

"Mom, are we stopping here for lunch?" he asked.

Kelly nodded. "Yes. Get out of the car. We're going inside to order."

"Ew. I don't want any of that fast food crap. I'm a vegan." Jade snapped. Kelly rolled her eyes. How could she forget? Several months after Erwin left, Jade pledged a vow of veganism. She never touched a piece of meat after that and refuses any temptation. She also vies to eat healthily and rarely ate fast food.

"Get a salad." Kelly said, whipping the door open and stomping into the Wendy's, Luke and Jade in her wake.

Erwin Sikowitz paced around his house. His house. The house he bought two years after moving in with his brother. Five years ago, Erwin left his wife Kelly, filed for divorce, left his kids, and moved in with his brother out in Hollywood. Two years after he moved in with his bachelor, recently-divorced brother George, Erwin scrambled up enough money as an acting teacher at Hollywood Arts to buy his own house. Erwin chose to be by the water. He bought a house on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica on the ocean. Even though it was twenty minutes from Hollywood and where he worked, Erwin liked it there. He had developed friends in this community.

He wasn't just the prestigious acting teacher from New York City that taught little Jade West from _13_everything she knew. He was Erwin Sikowitz. The eccentric, talented, wacky, fun teacher who liked to write plays for the local church. The church that burnt down. That was a longer story. He was sitting in the church, staring around, getting inspiration to finish a play he had to get done. When he woke up, he was lying on the floor. Firefighters surrouned him and smoke filled up his lungs.

The church burned down. Erwin blamed himself. There was a candle there. He fell asleep and it must've caught on the papers. The papers weren't singed though so Erwin didn't understand. However, he took the blame for it. Anywho, he wrote letters to his daughter and son. Only Luke gave him replies. Jade remained quiet. Ah, Jade. She had the acting talent of her father, beauty of her mother and stubborness of both of the parents combined. Erwin just wanted to maintain a relationship with his only daughter. Before he left, they were so close. Erwin would give anything to be close to Jade again. He heard a car door slam outside. Erwin rushed to the window and peered out. The old station wagon was out there.

Bessie.

Erwin chuckled. He and Kelly had a lot of memories with Bessie. God, Kelly had Bessie before they started dating about twenty-two years before. He watched Kelly and Luke spring out of the car and head to the back where their luggage was. Erwin watched as a teenage girl with dark hair and blue streaks hesitate to move. She fidgeted around. Erwin watched as Kelly ripped the door open and told Jade something. Then, Erwin watched Jade get out. My. God. It had been five years since he's seen his daughter. She's changed so much, especially her style. She looked Goth now. Kelly walked up to the house with Luke in her wake. Erwin hurried over and opened the door to greet them. Kelly looked...tired but radiant like always.

"Kelly. Come here." Erwin said, bringing in the woman for a hug. Kelly smiled and moved aside so Luke could show. "Luke!" exclaimed Erwin.

"Dad!" greeted Luke, running into his father's arms. The young boy looked around wildly.

"You live _on _the beach?" Erwin nodded vigorously and Kelly smiled happily. "Can I go walk along the water and sand?" Erwin agreed.

"If it's alright with your mother." he said. Kelly nodded.

"It's fine. Just don't go in the water and stay close to the house!" she called as Luke ran away. She smiled and then Jade walked up the steps. She stared at both her father and mother. Kelly and Erwin blushed a deep red. "Jade, say hello." Kelly demanded in a whisper.

"Hello." Jade drawled, turning on her foot and walking in the house. Kelly just stared and Erwin looked longingly at his daughter. After a few seconds, Kelly shook her head and wiped her eyes, on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, Erwin! I-I-I don't know what to do! Ever since she's quit acting, she hasn't done anything else and she's so rebellious! You know, she blames me for everything. It's so hard to just sit there while she turns into-while she turns into that!" Erwin studied his daughter. She was very different. Kelly continued, "I love her and she's ruining herself...you know she got arrested for stealing." Kelly trailed awkwardly.

"What? Good Gandhi! Stealing!" Erwin exclaimed. Jade turned from her spot inside the house and glared at her mother. Kelly gestured to Erwin to quiet down. Erwin understood the message. "Sorry," he whispered, "but stealing? She's better than that. I wonder how the paparazzi twisted that around." Kelly shrugged.

"The paparazzi haven't followed us around since a year after Jade quit acting. They realized there was nothing exciting coming from the house so they moved on." Erwin nodded and Kelly hastily changed the subject. "You know, she got accepted to AMDA New York." she stated. Erwin rose his eyebrows.

"Really, now? And what has she decided?" he said. Kelly shrugged.

"She doesn't want to go." she said. Erwin shook his head, saying she'll change her mind. Kelly sighed, "I don't think she will. She's pretty stubborn on it..." Kelly said with dismay. "John and I want her to go to college but she does the exact opposite of what we want."

"Tell her not to go to college," laughed Erwin.

"If only her mind worked that easily." Kelly said. "Well! I better get going. Thanks so much for taking them for the summer." Erwin shook his head.

"It's not a problem. Have a safe drive." Erwin said. Kelly smiled.

"Thank you." Luke came running up from the beach, yelling for her. He hugged her around the waist. Kelly smiled and bent down to kiss his head. "Love you, Lukie. Have fun with your father. Tell your sister I said goodbye and that I love her." Luke nodded vigorously. Kelly broke away from her son and got in the car. With a final honk and a wave, she maneuvered the old station wagon down the road. Luke ran back to his dad and Erwin placed an arm around his son's shoulder.

"Come inside. I got something really cool to show you."


	2. Trouble

**Thanks, everyone! I'm glad you like it! I enjoy writing this story too. xD I just haven't because I got tons of stories. xD Okay, here it is. I own nothing. I am not Nicholas Sparks. I am not Dan Schneider. Here it is: the next installment.**

A girl with dark hair and blue highlights walked down the Boardwalk. Everything was just so loud. Kids were screaming and running around. The music from the rides was cranked and people were crowding around Jade. Jade hated crowds. She scowled as the people bumped into her. She yelled occasional 'watch where you're going's' or shoved them back. As she walked along, she couldn't help but shudder at everyone else's happiness. It was disgusting for her. She didn't like seeing other people happy. It irritated her. She hated most of all being out here in California, at her father's house. She vowed, after her father left, that she would never go to California. But of course, her mother shoved her out of the house with her brother Luke and told them to spend the summer. Jade stopped in front of a clothes booth and browsed at the shirts. They were nice but expensive. A short tan girl with red hair sidled up beside her and smiled.

"Expensive, aren't they?" she pointed out. Jade nodded.

"Yes, but they're cool. I'm going to buy this one but...twenty-five dollars? Ugh, no way!" Jade said, throwing the shirt back on the shelf. The red-headed girl grabbed the shirt back.

"Orrr..." she trailed, "you can get it for free." the girl said, stuffing it inside her bra. Jade saw what the girl was doing and stopped her.

"No. I already got busted once for shoplifting. It's not happening again." she said, grabbing the girl's arm. The red-headed girl rolled her eyes and tossed the shirt back on the shelf.

"Oooh! A woman with a record!" she exclaimed. Jade rolled her eyes and tried to get away from the girl; but the girl grabbed her arm. "What's your name?" she asked. Jade pursed her lips and stared at the stranger.

"What do you care? How about you tell me your name before I tell you mine?" she said. The red-headed girl giggled.

"Ooh. Play hard-to-get. I'm Cat. Cat Valentine." Jade wrinkled her nose and stared at Cat.

"You mean...like the animal?" she asked. Cat scoffed.

"No, like the country. Yes, like the animal! My mom's weird, alright? Now tell me what your name is."

"Jade. Jade...Sikowitz." Jade trailed nervously. Ever since her father left, she was ashamed to say what her last name was. Not only did it sound so weird, but it also made her ashamed. Her father wasn't there. Her father barely raised her. Why should she carry his last name? As a matter of fact, Jade didn't know why she said Sikowitz. Back in New York. she took it up with the principal to be called Ms. West in school. Even if John was her stepfather, she'd rather have his name than her father's. Cat nodded.

"Sikowitz...so your father Erwin was the one who-never mind." she said abruptly. Jade rose her eyebrows but Cat grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the clothes booth. "Come on. I got something cool to show you." Cat led Jade quickly down the Boardwalk. As they made their way to the pier, Jade noticed fire flying around in the air. She didn't know what it was but she noticed a large crowd and heard loud cheering. Jade could see two guys dancing around in the middle of the pier blowing fire. _Fire breathers._

Cat dragged Jade to the front of mob and pointed at the two guys. They both had dark hair. The one guy-Jade thought he was pretty hot and bad-boy looking-smiled at Cat. She squealed like a little girl. "Isn't this fun? That's Ryder and the other one is Daniel!" she yelled over the screaming and cheering of the crowd. So Ryder was the one who smiled at Cat and Daniel was the other one. Huh. As they continued blowing fire around, the crowd cheered louder and some people were pulling out money and throwing them inside a hat, tossed onto the boardwalk. Jade smiled; these guys were good. Through her peripheral vision, she could see flashlights beam around her. She twisted on her ankle. Cops. A heavy-set guy with a shaved head flashed a flashlight and stomped forward.

"Hey! I thought I told you freaks to stay off the boards." he said intimidatingly. Cat gasped and grabbed Jade by the arm. As she rushed through the people to hurry away, she could see Ryder and Danny hurrying away towards the beach. Meanwhile, the people in the crowd were discouraged by the cop's bluntness and walked away. Cat dragged Jade down the ramp and onto the beach. She could see two shadows in the distance near the water. Cat let go of Jade's hand and ran into Ryder's arms. His strong muscled arms wrapped around her. Jade envied a little bit. Before she came out here to California, she broke up with her boyfriend of two years Anthony. Anthony was a bad-boy who did a lot of rebellious things. John and Kelly didn't like him and were somewhat happy when they broke up. Jade didn't want to make her parents happy but she had to break up with Anthony. Ryder was reminding her of Anthony.

After a bit, Danny was passed out under the Boardwalk, drunk as a dog. A bonfire blazed in front of them. Ryder was lying down, making out with Cat. Jade was sitting awkwardly by herself, listening to the waves rise and fall. Ryder lifted his lips away from Cat's and smirked at Jade, rubbing his peach-fuzz. "Come on, babe. You're so boring! Grab a beer or something." he said. Jade shifted uncomfortably.

"No thanks." she said. Despite her rebellious-looking appearance, she didn't drink and she didn't do drugs. She only stole, has piercings and got a tattoo. She sat there silently as Ryder scoffed.

"Whatever, Ms. Priss. At least get me one then."

"No!" exclaimed Jade angrily. Ryder scowled. Cat caressed his hair and pushed herself off of him, saying she'd get one. Cat slinked across the sand and dove into the cooler and grabbed _two _beers. One for her hot boyfriend and one for her. Jade gave Cat some looks. Ryder snuck over and wrapped his arms around Jade. He began to kiss her on the neck. She shoved him away. "Don't touch me! I'm not some toy you can play with!" she exclaimed, getting up and brushing herself off. "I'm leaving." she said, walking away. Ryder stood up and chuckled.

"Fine! You know, you looked like you were fun but you're really not!" he yelled across the beach. Ouch. Those were the same words Anthony echoed to her when she walked out of his apartment. Not good. Jade twirled around on her ankle and yelled at him to shut up. She stormed down the beach. Checking her cell phone, she saw it was 2 o'clock. Oh well. It was 2:30 when Jade finally tromped up the steps and entered the house. It was the first time she had been inside all day. She looked around. It was _beautiful_. The furniture was so beachy and perfect. She brushed a hand over the white leather sofa and gazed at the large wide-screen TV mounted to the wall. But Jade's eyes wandered beyond the TV. Next to the TV was a door. A white door. There was a flimsy sign on it that said 'do not enter.' Well, Jade does the opposite of what things tell her. She opened the door and was shocked to see a large...auditorium.

Movie theater chairs were lined up in rows. At the bottom of the carpeted ramp was a large stage. Jade looked around. It looked like a black box. The walls were black. The ceiling and the floor and the stage was black. The curtain was a scarlet red. It looked exactly like a high school auditorium. She walked to the bottom of the ramp and got on stage. Walking around, she looked towards the chair. Her mind imagined a large audience standing there, staring her, watching her. Jade shook her head vigorously. No. No! Why would her father have a stage off of his living room? Yes, he was an acting teacher but does it warrant a stage in your house? Jade vowed she would never step on stage again after he left. She stormed off the stage and was about to walk back in the house when the door suddenly swung open. Her father was standing there. His strange hair. His glasses. His beard. His bare feet. Just looking at him brought back memories. He stared at her and she stared back. He smiled at her.

"Jade..." he trailed. She sighed and looked around awkwardly.

"Erwin..." she trailed. He pursed his lips and looked at his daughter. How she had grown. How she had changed. How she had stopped loving him. Jade, on the other hand, couldn't stand looking at her father. At the same time, he seemed so vulnerable, like a puppy you just couldn't yell at. Of course, Jade wasn't that loving but she did have a heart. She just stared at her father and waited for him to say something. Usually when Jade's mother Kelly discovered her walking in late from a club or a party, she would get her ear ripped off till the wee morning hours. Not like the time wasn't wee already but still. She was shocked when her father just stood there, peering at her through his glasses. Erwin was very nervous. He didn't know how to handle this new behavior. He wasn't used to _this_ Jade. He was used to the singing, dancing, happy-go-lucky, eager-to-learn Jade. This Jade was a drained-out version of the old Jade. Erwin sighed and looked at his daughter, knowing he had to make the first move.

"Jade...do you know what time it is?" he asked slowly. She just shrugged.

"Yeah. It's like 2:30." she said. He sighed deeply.

"Do you...normally come home at this hour?" he asked. Jade nodded and was about to walk past her dad when he held his arm out. "Wait. Let me rephrase that. What does your mother do when you come home at this time of night?" Erwin asked, genuinely wondering how Kelly handled Jade. Jade shrugged.

"Uh...she yells, mostly. Waking up the entire house. Then John gets in on the act for about thirty-forty minutes. Then Luke finally comes out. John takes him to bed and Mom keeps yelling for about...another hour or two." Erwin rose his eyebrows. Even though his ex-wife put a lot of time into disciplining Jade, it wasn't working.

"Good Gandhi." he muttered. Sighing and stepping off to the side, he gestured towards the house. "Go to bed." he said. Jade rose her eyebrows at her father. That was it? Go to bed? She questioned him on it, pushing his buttons. Erwin nodded slowly. "Yes...go to bed. Now." he said, adding the now for effect. Maybe it would scare her into getting out of his private theater. Jade just brushed past him and walked out. _Finally_. He thought to himself. He watched as she slammed the door and walked towards the hallway, in search for the bedroom. Jade stormed down the hallway, looking around for her own bedroom. For being somewhat richer now, Jade found only one bedroom. She didn't know where her brother was and she didn't care. He was all happy now that he was with his daddy. Jade would let Luke and Erwin be happy. She chose _not _to be happy. She saw an empty bed on the left. Tiredly, she walked over and slipped her shirt off. That's when she heard a rustling behind her. Luke was sitting up behind her in the bed across the room. The bed she obviously didn't see.

"Brat!" exclaimed Jade, covering her chest, "What the hell are you doing in here?" she exclaimed. Luke pursed his lips and brushed a hand through his hair.

"This is my room too!" he whined. Jade stomped her boot into the rug, rolling her eyes.

"You're telling me Dad is filthy rich now out here in California and he only has two bedrooms?" she asked annoyingly. Luke nodded and then looked like he had realized something.

"Ha! You said Dad!" Luke teased.

Jade scowled. "Shut up, idiot!" she exclaimed, stomping over and pushing Luke back. The ten-year old fell back, landing on his pillow. He rubbed his back, glaring at Jade but didn't say a word. "Just turn around, don't look at me and go back to bed." she said, undressing and getting into bed. Luke sighed and turned over in bed. The brother and sister were silent as they drifted asleep.

**~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

The sun rose over Santa Monica, California. Technically, even though the clocks read 7:30, it was about 12:30 on the East Coast. Erwin Sikowitz woke up. He wasn't used to waking up with two children in his home. Erwin was used to walking around the house in his bare feet and working on writing new plays and things. Unfortunately, it was a little different. His two children Jade and Luke were visiting him for the summer. Not that Erwin didn't enjoy it. He wanted to develop a closer relationship with his two children, especially his daughter. Deciding to pleasantly surprise them, he went into his kitchen and cooked up an extravagant breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. When Luke came out, he was happy about it and ate the meal heartily. However, when Jade came out, she wrinkled her nose and walked out of the house again. Erwin raised his hands.

"What? My cooking's not that bad!"

"She's a vegetarian, Dad." Luke informed Erwin. The man pulled at his beard a little bit in frustration, watching as his daughter stomped down the beach. He sighed, not sure if he liked her wandering around. Eh, who was he to question her? She was almost eighteen years old, nearly an adult. Besides, if she could manage in New York, she could manage in Santa Monica. Erwin vowed to work slowly, focusing on his son. He had heard from Kelly that she was dating a guy named John and that the kids were alright with him. Erwin didn't feel like changing Luke's opinion but he wanted Luke to realize he was there for him. Luke cut him off. "Don't worry about it, Dad. She's already miserable." Luke laughed. Erwin chuckled along and tousled his son's hair.

"It's fine, bud. Say...want me to show you something?" he trailed.

Meanwhile, Jade stormed down the sand. On the pier, all the rides were cleaned up like it wasn't even there the night before. She was angry. Angry at her father. Angry the festival was over. Angry at Ryder for making a move on her. Angry at her brother. Angry at the little ecosystems she was squashing under her feet. She heard a noise behind her. Jade spun around to see Cat standing there. Her red hear shone in the sun. Light bounced off of the girls' hair and blinded Jade. The Goth girl stumbled backwards as she stared at Cat. Cat smirked and waved.

"Hey, what's up?"

Jade nodded. "Hey. What happened after I left?" she asked. Cat pursed her lips.

"Ryder and Danny left and went God-knows-where. I slept under the pier." Cat said, rubbing her hair. Jade's eyes widened. Firstly, she was shocked that one of the guys didn't take her home to slam her. Secondly, she was shocked that Cat slept _under _the Boardwalk.

"You didn't go home?" Jade asked. Cat shook her head.

"No. Why? So my parents call me a whore and pay attention to my weird brother Rex? Hell no. I'd rather sleep with the sand and the crabs anyday." Cat said. This shocked Jade but she didn't say anything. Cat rubbed her stomach and looked at Jade. "Got any money?" she asked. Jade rose her eyebrows.

"Why...?" she trailed. Cat shrugged.

"I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since noon yesterday." Hurriedly, the two girls hurried towards the nearest diner down the road.

**Yeah, so Rex is going to be human in this story. He and Robbie (if I even have Robbie in this) are going to be separate entities. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't worry. It's based off ****The Last Song**** but it will be original too. =D **


	3. Beck Meets Jade

**Thanks a lot, guys! Glad you like it. =) And to Live Laugh Love Lie, you're right! The characters fit perfectly into the movie! That's why I enjoy writing this so much! =D Well, here's the new chapter. I own nothing. I'm not Nicholas Sparks or Dan Schneider. I did not come up with The Last Song or Victorious. Good day.**

Jade and Cat had walked down to the nearest diner. It was a retro-kind of place with the red checkers, Betty Boop, all that jazz. Jade scrunched her nose, not used to such a crazy-looking diner. Cat probably just thought it was normal. The young hostess sat them down in a booth, excluded from the rest of the diner. Jade looked around; they were by themselves. When the waitress asked what the girls would like to drink, Jade ordered a coffee and Cat took a Shirley Temple. They had already figured out what they wanted to eat; they just sat in silence awkwardly. Finally, Cat looked up after sipping her Shirley Temple.

"So...tell me about yourself. You seem mysterious to me." Cat stated simply. Jade looked up from her coffee and glared at the redhead. Irritated, she put her mug down.

"Uhh, let's see...I'm from New York. My mom dropped me and my brother off here to live with our dad for the summer." she said simply. Cat nodded.

"That's right...you said your dad was Erwin Sikowitz." Cat trailed. Jade looked up.

"How do you know his name?" she asked. Cat blushed and shrugged.

"Oh...no particular reason...um, you seem pretty pissed about being out here. I mean, come on. We're in California! It's so beautiful out here!" Cat exclaimed, taking a drink of her Shirley Temple. The waitress came up and asked what they wanted. Jade ordered waffles and Cat took pancakes a la mode. When the waitress disappeared around the corner, Cat continued to heckle Jade. "Come on! You can tell me...please, I have family issues of my own. I would completely understand what you're saying..." she said. Jade looked up and tried to penetrate Cat's brown eyes. She couldn't see past them. Unlike Jade, where you could see the potential dysfunction in her head, Cat seemed happy and fun and outgoing. Jade shrugged.

"Trust me, you wouldn't understand. My family's fucked up." Jade said bitterly. Cat pursed her lips.

"Believe me, so is my family. My brother, Rex, he's all screwed up. He just does the craziest shit. If I would try to tell you, I would look mental. Like one time, he got shot by a clown. My brother was poking him and saying 'What you gonna do about it, clown?'. The clown was our cousin Jesse. Jesse shot my brother Rex with a water gun and-" Jade cut Cat off, just praying not to hear any more of these weird stories.

"Alright, fine! I believe you!" she exclaimed. Cat smiled widely.

"So will you tell me why you're so bitchy when you talk about your family?" she asked with a wide smirk. Jade rolled her eyes.

"Okay..." Jade brushed some hair out of her face. "Well...when I was 13, I was uh on the Broadway play _13_. Um...my dad Erwin Sikowitz was my acting teacher." Jade paused and bit her lip. She had never really spoken about it until now...to some strange girl she met last night. Meanwhile, Cat was astounded that Jade was an actress.

"Oh my God, I remember that! I remember seeing your picture! You-you died your hair." she noted. Jade scowled at her and Cat shut up. Jade continued.

"Once the money started running out, my dad left one day. He left me and my little brother with our mom. They divorced and he moved out here. Mom remarried and I live in New Jersey...the land of the guidos who say 'fustrated'. Ugh! I hate that!" Cat nodded and wiped her eye a little bit.

"I...I wish-I would die for a family life like yours. Mine is more fucked up." she stammered. Jade pursed her lips and just stared.

"Why? Yours seems fine. You just have a crazy brother." Jade said unknowingly. Cat shook her head.

"No...it's not like that. It's worse than you think. My parents always pay attention to my brother. They're never around because they're always taking Rex to the doctor. My mom and dad both do drugs and drink when they are at home because they're just trying to get away from all of the family problems and-and-and-" Jade just sat there. She didn't know how to be compassionate. She didn't know how to administer sympathy. She just stared and handed Cat a napkin for her to wipe her face with. She was crying now. Cat took the napkin gratefully. "Thank you. Thank you."

Jade pursed her lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't know...so that was why you didn't go home last night? You said your parents call you names. They drink...they smoke...do they-do they-" The word 'hit' just couldn't come out of Jade's mouth. It pained her to say it; it looked like it would pain Cat if she said it. Jade's voice faltered. Cat looked ashamed and didn't say anything. The girls say in awkward silence until the door to the diner swun open. It was Ryder. The handsome young guy strolled in and slammed his hand on the table.

"Where the hell were you? I couldn't find you under the Boardwalk, you weren't at Reynold's Sea Shack, I've been looking all over for you!" Cat cowered. Jade stood up for her and held Ryder back with her hand. Disgusted, he threw Jade's hand off of his shoulder. "Get your hands off me, bitch!" Jade scowled at Ryder but got away from the disgruntled boyfriend. Cat stared at her boyfriend.

"Ryder...please...Jade's my friend..." she trailed innocently. Ryder slapped her across the face.

"I don't give a fuck!" he yelled. A few people in the diner stared but did nothing. Jade watched with shock as Ryder's eyes burned with fury. "You weren't where you were supposed to be! I should beat the shit out of you!" he panted heavily and glared at her. After a few seconds, he grabbed Cat's hand and began to drag her away. "Let's go." he said brusquely. Cat looked up pathetically, like a child who was being dragged away by its mother.

"See you later, Jade. How about we meet up on the Boardwalk later? 3 o'clock at the pizza parlor." Jade nodded and watched as Ryder dragged Cat away. Also, Jade was stuck with the bill. Half of it wasn't eaten. She tried to argue this to the waitress but the dumb bitch insisted that since it was cooked and placed on the table, it needed to be paid for. Jade had to pay about twenty dollars for half of the breakfast. Then the Goth girl wandered out of the diner and down to the beach. It was crowded; families bustled around her and walked towards a sandy clearing. A volleyball net stood in the center. Some hot guys in tank tops and bathing suits were hanging out, warming up and waiting for the game to begin. Jade walked closer to get a better look when suddenly, someone banged into her. Jade flew into the sand flat on her face. She pushed herself up and stared straight into the eyes of the offender. He had dark tan skin and jet-black hair. It was a little long for Jade's liking; this guy most definitely was not her type. He wore no shirt and his brown eyes looked upon her concern.

"My God, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to Jade. Jade shrank away from him and dusted herself off.

"Just got some sand in my pants. Thanks." she said cockily, walking away. Beck hurried after her.

"Wait! I really am sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you..." he said. Then he looked straight into Jade's eyes. "I'm Beck."

"I'm itchy." Jade said, turning on her heel and walking down the beach. Beck yelled out to her to accept her apology. Jade didn't answer and stormed down the beach, towards the bathroom. Beck sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. An African American guy and two girls walked over from the bleachers. The skinny tan brunette girl wearing the short shorts, off-the-shoulder tee and flip flops wrapped her arms around Beck's broad shoulders and whispered into his neck.

"What were you doing talking to that girl? Were you hitting on her?" she asked lightly. Beck shook his head and mumbled that he was apologizing for bumping into her. "Okay..." the girl said kissing Beck's neck. "...Before you go playing around with other girls, remember what you have here first." Beck smiled stupidly. The African American teenager-Andre-cut in.

"Hate to interrupt, Tori, but uh, we got a game? The tournament?" he said, pointing to the volleyball net in the center of the sand pit. Tori Vega smiled at Andre and nodded.

"Right. The tournament. Good luck, Beck." she said, pecking her on-and-off boyfriend on the cheek. Beck blushed and nodded dumbly. Tori Vega's sister Trina Vega kissed Andre on the lips, commencing a make-out session. She was always one to outdo her sister. Tori rolled her eyes and sat on the bottom row seat, ready to cheer on her boyfriend. Andre pushed Trina away with a reluctant grin on his face.

"Trina baby, I got a game but I'd love to catch up later." he said. Trina laughed and headed over to the bleachers and sat beside her sister. Then the game began. Tori thought back to her relationship with Beck. Their families were both very prominent in the Santa Monica area. Tori's father David Vega was the chief of police while Beck's father was an entrpreneur and investor. Tori had known Beck since childhood but they never pursued a relationship until high school, by insistence of her father. Also, to seal the deal, Chief Vega insisted that Trina date Andre, Beck's best friend. The guys and their families had no idea of the motive behind the alliance and didn't suspect a thing. Beck and Tori started dating in freshman year. They were on and off frequently. Beck said that Tori was clingy, bitchy and high-maintenance while Tori insisted that Beck was a player. For some reason, they always went back together. Meanwhile, Trina (a year older that her seventeen-year old sister Tori) has only dated Andre for a year but it's going successful; however, Trina worried inwardly how their relationship would be once she went back to college in San Diego.

Anyways, the two guys dominated the game and ended up winning solidly. _It's a good thing too_, Tori thought to herself, _That guy over there is a college scout for UCLA and volleyball is a good sport to get a scholarship for_. However, Tori also knew that Beck's demanding parents wanted him to go to SUNY. Tori wanted Beck to go to college in California like Trina was so they would be close. The guy wearing the UCLA hat wrote some notes down in his clipboard and watched Beck and Andre intently. They were now celebrating their win and sucking down some Gatorade. Tori and Trina clapped the loudest, proud of their boyfriends. Deep down, Tori just had to wonder...why was Beck so stubborn on apologizing to that random girl?

**So yeah. Tori and Trina are dating Beck and Andre. David Vega, their dad, wants them to do it as a sort of "alliance" between the two power families. Sick, right? :p Well, thanks for reading and don't forget to review! **


	4. The Secret

**Thanks for reviewing, guys! =D I own nothing. I'm not Dan Schneider or Nicholas Sparks. This chapter will be a little out of order and maybe very different but l am going to generally follow the plot. **

Beck and Andre had won the volleyball games and qualified for the major tournament later in the summer. Tori and Trina were happy that their boyfriends were doing well. The college scouts had even approached them. As a reward, the girls offered to spend the whole night with Andre and Beck. They walked around, played games, made out and had fluffy romantic moments. Around 3 o'clock, Tori's stomach growled.

"Becky, I'm hungry." she said, using her pet name for Beck. "Let's go get some pizza." The other three agreed and they headed towards the pizza parlor. There were a bunch of little kids hanging in front of the door, running around and playing tag. They were blocking the entrance. Tori was getting angry. The guys weren't doing anything. Finally Tori yelled at them. "Move, you stupid little kids!" she screeched. The kids got scared and ran inside. Andre chuckled while Beck rubbed Tori's shoulders.

"Damn girl." muttered Andre. Beck said nothing. The girls sat at the table while Beck and Andre went to place the orders. That's when four people walked in: Danny, Ryder, Cat, and that girl Beck bumped into. Beck gazed at the girl he bumped into the longest. Meanwhile, Ryder and Daniel won most of Andre's attentions. The sneaky guys walked over to the two and sneered. They taunted Andre and Beck while Cat and Jade watched from afar. Ryder smirked and walked over to Andre.

"So, Andre, shoot off any bottle rockets lately?" Ryder asked. Andre got angry and began to charge at Ryder. Danny and Beck got in the middle. The girls (Jade, Cat, Trina and Tori) lunged forward with concern but stayed back for the most part. That's when Jade noticed a boy knocked down during the struggle. Jade moved forward and intervened. Andre and Ryder stopped when they noticed a girl coming towards them. Jade helped the little boy up and looked around.

"Knock it off, guys!" she exclaimed. "This little kid's hurt!" she said. Jade turned to the little boy and asked if he was okay. It reminded her of her little brother Luke. She knew at times how vulnerable he could be. Jade knew this little kid probably felt like that. She asked him about his mother. Before the little boy could finish, the mother frantically came over, reclaimed the boy and thanked Jade. Jade glared at the boys and walked out of the pizza parlor. Cat scurried in her wake. Ryder and Danny straightened their leather jackets and glared at Beck and Andre.

"You win this time. But only because my fuckin' girlfriend's friend is a bitch." he said, stomping out. Beck pursed his lips.

"No one is a winner, Ryder." he said. Ryder scoffed.

"That's what you think. Later, bitches. But hit me up sometimes, guys. I would love to shoot off bottle rockets with you guys." he said, flashing the peace sign and running out with Danny. Andre lunged at Ryder but Beck held him back. Tori and Trina walked over and placed a hand on their boyfriend's shoulders.

"Baby, what did he mean by that?" Trina asked, stroking Andre's hair. Andre calmed down quickly and faced Trina, holding her in his arms.

"Haha, nothing baby. Don't worry about it. Uh, let's just get some pizza." The four ordered their pizza and were eating it. However, while Trina and Andre were having a 'Lady and the Tramp' moment, feeding each other pizza, Beck was sullen and distant. Tori tried to make romantic gestures but eventually gave up when she realized her boyfriend wasn't interested. Beck couldn't clear his thoughts of what Ryder said: bottle rockets...bottle rockets...hit me up...would love...it gave the kid a headache. Slowly, he felt himself thinking of that time.

_An African American teenager and a tan teenager stumbled down the beach. They had been drinking but they were not drunk. Another local teenager: Ryder Daniels was holding a party in an empty house. The family was on vacation. The party was rowdy and wild. The cops were called and all the teenagers had to flee the house. Ryder and his crew were on the boardwalk. Beck and Andre wandered onto the beach. Andre laughed and pulled something out of his pockets._

_"Look at what I stole from Ryder." he revealed some bottle rockets. Beck laughed drunkily and urged Andre to fire them off. "Alright. Let's go over here. We can hide behind the wall of the church and no one will see us." Andre said, walking away. Beck followed. The two sat against the wall of the old church, facing the ocean. Andre leaned on the old siding and lit up the bottle rocket. The two guys snickered like little boys. Suddenly, the lit bottle rocket spiraled out of Andre's hand and flew backwards. It hit the back wall of the church. The dry rotten wood combusted rapidly. Before the teenagers knew it, the church was on fire. Andre and Beck backed up, just staring at the church. A random voice called out to them from a beach house a ways down._

_"Hey! Hey! What are you kids doing? The church is on fire! Is someone in there?" exclaimed the man's voice. Andre and Beck didn't respond. They turned on their heel and sprinted down the sand. No matter what, they kept running. After a few minutes, they were a far distance from the church. Andre and Beck stopped for a moment, panting vigorously. Andre walked down to the water and threw the bottle rockets into the water. Beck didn't need to ask his friend what he was doing; Andre was discarding the evidence. Beck just stood there and waited to Andre to return from the water's edge. The two guys dug their feet into the sand and tore down the beach, away from the church. Meanwhile, all of the firefighters of the Los Angeles area were rushing towards the church to quell the flames and drag whoever was in there...out. _

Beck Oliver snapped out of his thoughts when he felt warm hands on his shoulder. "Babe?" asked a sweet voice. He looked up. Tori was smiling widely at him. "You aren't eating your pizza. You've just kinda been staring into space. You okay?" Beck shrugged her arm off and nodded, plastering on a fake yet convincable smile.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm okay." Beck could never confide in Tori. She would tell someone; Tori was just one of those girls. Most likely, she would tell Trina or her father, the chief of police. Telling either person would be bad because no matter what, Chief David Vega would know and go after him and Andre's ass. No. They just had to repress it. Hide it...never tell a soul that they were responsible for the burning of the church.

_**~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**_

Erwin Sikowitz is standing on the beach. He is looking down towards the water. His son Luke is running around, picking up shells and splashing around in the water. Erwin missed this; the last time he saw his son, the boy was five. Now, Luke needed him and Erwin wanted to be there. He had watched his son from afar. His bare feet were gripping the sand. Luke and he were originally walking but Luke asked to play around in the water. Erwin started to stare at the clouds; and then inspiration for a new improv activity distracted him. The man was daydreaming until Luke yelled at him.

"Dad! Dad, look at this!" Erwin knew his son wasn't in any danger. He had learned by now that Luke got really excited over little things. However Erwin enjoyed it. He walked over to where his son was standing. "Watch it, Dad! You nearly stepped on it!" exclaimed Luke. Erwin hopped back and looked down. Sure enough, a small nest of turtle eggs was sitting in the sand.

"Good Gandhi!" bellowed Erwin. His voice echoed across the water. He knelt down and stared intently at the nest. "Luke...you see how cool this is? This is a sea turtle nest. Do you know about sea turtles?" Luke nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, Dad! I watched the movie Finding Nemo." he stated. Erwin chuckled inwardly; the portrayal of sea turtles in the movie was nothing like real life. "They go DUUUDDEE SERIOUSLY." Luke finished. Erwin had to stifle a chuckle and shake his head.

"No, Luke. Buddy, you see, the mother lays the eggs and leaves. She-" Luke stepped back.

"She...she leaves? She just gives birth to them and leaves? They just die?" he asked. Erwin shrugged.

"Yes and no. The mother leaves and goes into the water. When the eggs hatch, the little babies are smart enough to go into the water and find their mother." Luke crossed his arms and tilted his head at his father.

"I don't believe that. I want to see for myself!" Luke said, displaying his mother's stubborness. Erwin smiled and stood up, helping his son up.

"Tell you what. We'll keep a close eye on the nest. We're not far from the house." he said, pointing back towards the road. Half a mile away stood the beach house. "That way, when the eggs hatch, we can run down here and watch." Erwin said. Luke chirped an 'okay' and hurried down the beach. Erwin hurried after him. They walked for twenty more minutes until Erwin said they should turn around and go back. They ate a silent dinner alone of fast food. Jade still wasn't home. By ten o'clock, when Luke headed off to bed, she wasn't home. Erwin was getting worried but knew better than to send the cops after her. He remembered being angry at his parents when he was younger when they would do something like that. At 1:30, the door squeaked open and Jade was standing there. Erwin was sitting on the couch reading The Bible. He stood up and stared at his daughter. She glared back.

"Jadelyn." Jade gave Erwin an evil look and scoffed.

"Erwin."

"Let's not play this game."

"What game?" she asked with a sarcastic smile. Erwin laughed.

"You're my daughter, Jade. I know you like a book. So...what were you doing?"

"What?" asked Jade sharply.

"I asked...what...were...you...doing?" he asked, pronouncing the words slowly. Jade rolled her eyes.

"It's none of your business."

"It's every much of my business. I'm your father and I deserve to know what you're doing. Especially when you're coming back at these hours." he said. Jade threw her monkey fur purse across the room, not aimed at Erwin.

"You're not my father!" she yelled, "How _dare_ you say that! You left five years ago! You have never been here for me and Luke. You were out here in Cali living it up in your fancy house and your custom stage!" Jade said, kicking down the door to the custom stage room Erwin had. Erwin winced a little but displayed no emotion. "The moment trouble came after _13_ ended, you ditched. When were you here for me and Luke? You're lucky I'm even talking to you." Jade said sneering and stomping out of the room. Erwin sighed deeply and said nothing. He just looked down and continued to read his Bible. He underlined this following verse:

"_For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will never forgive your sins." _

Besides the verse, Erwin scrawled the words Jadelyn and muttered a prayer. Within a few hours, he drifted asleep on the couch, glasses on his face, Bible in his hands.

**Even if you're not Christian, you have to admit that that was deep. Thanks for reading and I hope you guys liked it! =D **


	5. Growing Apart

**It's been a while since I've updated. Usually I update like a month apart. Thank you all for the support. I own neither ****The Last Song**** nor ****Victorious****. Also, I don't own ****13**** which I reference to in this chapter.**

Jade West woke up the next morning groggy and fatigued. She remembered little of the night before. Well, she recalled yelling at her father. She felt bad about it now. And Jade West never felt bad about things. She rolled out of bed and looked beside her. Luke wasn't in the room and his bed was made. Jade threw the covers lazily over her sheets, changed into some dark clothes and walked out of the bedroom. Luke was sitting at the dining room table, eating some cereal. Jade glared at her little brother and asked where Erwin was. Her tone was cold. Luke looked up and said he was in the acting room off the living room. He pointed towards an ajar door. Jade sighed and stepped into the room she didn't want to step in. Her father Erwin was standing on stage looking towards nothing. A thick script was in his hands. His expression was serious. Jade decided to enjoy the show and sit down. She snuck in the auditorium room and sat down in the back row.

"Brett! Did you hear the terrible news? I hate to tell you..." he trailed. Strangely, Erwin turned in the other direction and faced where he was standing before. Jade concluded that he was acting two roles in one body. He had made her practice that before as a child to learn her cues. "What is it, Lucy?" he asked. Erwin turned around again and smirked playfully. "I shouldn't tell you but you deserve to know...Kendra kissed Evan." Erwin flipped to the other side and a sad expression plastered across his face. "R-really?" Erwin twirled around and pouted like a baby. "Unfortunately...I'm sorry..." he trailed. Jade stood up, unable to stand it anymore.

"What the hell are you doing?" she screeched. Erwin jumped with shock. He wasn't expecting Jade to be sitting there. He didn't seem afraid, angry or upset she was there though. He just asked Jade what she meant. "Don't give me the 'I'm stupid' trick." she growled. "I know exactly what you're doing and it's not going to work." Erwin rose his eyebrows and scratched the little bit of hair he had left.

"What am I doing?" he asked slyly. Half of him didn't know what he was doing; half of him did. He wanted to see Jade put the puzzle pieces together.

"You talked to Mom. I'm sure she told you about my opportunity for me to go to acting college and my turning it down. You two are in cahoots, trying to get me to go!" she yelled. Erwin chuckled.

"Cahoots?"

"Don't change the subject! Cahoots!" Jade ordered. "Doing my scenes from _13_? Who are we kidding? I know what you're doing. It's not going to work so just knock it off." she said, turning on her heel and stomping out of the room. Erwin walked after Jade, trying to talk to her.

"Jade. Come back here."

"No." she said firmly, grabbing her monkey fur purse and heading for the door.

"Yes, I'm your father. I'm ordering you to talk to me." Jade gripped the handle roughly but didn't twirl around.

"We went through this last night. Don't use the daddy card on me." she said. "I'm leaving..." she trailed, going for the door. Luke watched innocently from the table. Erwin folded his arms.

"Where are you going?"

"What do you care?" she shrieked. Erwin opened his mouth but closed it. He sighed and shook his head. "I thought so." Finally, Jade left the house and slammed the door. Erwin sighed and unfolded his arms.

"Jade-" he was interrupted by Luke.

"Dad?" he asked. Erwin turned around and stared at his son. Luke still loved him. Erwin walked over and leaned on the table. "What are we going to do today?" he asked. "Can we go down and check on the sea turtles?" Luke asked. Erwin nodded.

"Sure, we can do that. Go on and get dressed." Luke nodded and excitedly ran into the other room. Erwin smiled a little. Luke was convinced to give his dad another chance. Hopefully, Jade would come around soon. Erwin wasn't sure if he could wait much longer...he was tired of fighting and feeling so distant from his daughter.

**~#~#~#~#~#~**

Jade stalked around the beach. From the boardwalk, she made her way to a small music store. They sold CD's, guitars, and other music related things. She came in and the guy greeted her. Jade was in too grouchy of a mood to respond. She went to the back of the room and looked to see if they had any good Gothic music. The bell attached to the door rang behind her but didn't look to see who came in. Jade didn't notice until a red blur appeared beside her. It was Cat. Jade liked Cat and felt bad for the girl at times. She smiled politely (something she rarely did) and said hi. Cat, however, wasn't her bubbly perky self. She was wearing dark clothes and a dark look was painted across her face. Jade furrowed her eyebrows and stared intently at Cat.

"Are you alright? You don't look okay." she trailed. Cat sighed deeply and looked angry.

"I'm not okay. You want to know why, Ryder broke up with me!" Cat yelled. It took Jade by surprise. It seemed like Cat and Ryder had a dysfunctional relationship however she thought they would stay together. Jade opened her mouth to express her condolences when Cat cut her off. "He told me why...he said he likes _you_." she said with hatred. Jade was shocked. Ryder liked her? She just figured it was one-time boner thing where he lusted for her for sex and that was it. Liked her? Wanted her? Jade wasn't an item that someone wanted and got and then never touched again. She shook her head and pursed her lips.

"I'm so sorry, Cat. I want you to know that I don't-" she never got to finish. Cat slapped her across the face.

"You're such a whore! You've liked Ryder for a long time! Don't look me in the face and lie like you are." Jade tried to say she didn't like Ryder but Cat never gave her the opportunity. "I saw you cuddling that night on the beach. You don't think I didn't see you? I see the way you look at him! You don't just steal another girl's boyfriend. It's against girl code!" she shrieked. Cat groaned and paced around for a second. "I don't want to be friends anymore," she said firmly. Jade looked heartbroken; she loved being around Cat. Cat was a fun, great girl. Jade lunged forward and grabbed Cat's arm just as she was about to walk away.

"Please! Can we just talk? I don't like Ryder back." Cat pulled away and pushed Jade roughly. Jade was surprised by the great force behind Cat's arms and fell to the floor of the store. Jade's eyes shut for a brief second. When she opened them, Cat was stomping away. Jade jumped up and grabbed her purse, hurrying after Cat. "Cat, wait! Wait, please!" she yelled. Cat quickened her pace and left the store. Jade opened the door to follow the redhead when the store's security alarm went off. Jade stopped in her tracks and looked herself over. Nothing was in her hands except her purse. The short, heavyset man walked over calmly and held his arms out.

"Miss? Can I see your purse? Protocol." he said. Jade complied and handed him the monkey fur purse. She looked out the glass and saw Cat practically run down the sidewalk. The man clicked his tongue and pulled something out of her purse. "Miss, I found these Gothic music CD's in your purse. I have to call the police. Do you have any friends, family or a lawyer you would like to call?" the dark-hair man asked. Jade's eyes bulged. Shoplifting? No...this couldn't be happening. Jade took a step backwards.

"What? I didn't take that! They must've fallen in my purse!" she exclaimed. The man waved the CD's menacingly.

"I'm sorry, miss. I found the CD's in your purse when you were leaving the store. I have to prosecute you." he said quickly. He walked over to the desk and picked up the phone. "You stay right there. Trust me, it's better if you wait here till the police come than if you run." the shopkeeper said slowly. He picked up the phone and dialed the police. Thoughts ran through Jade's head. Now she's considered a multiple offender and almost an adult. She might face jailtime for this. This was serious. The man must've been on hold. He held a hand over the speaker and looked at her. "You can call a friend or a family member if you like so they can be here to know what's going on." he said. Jade picked up her cell phone and scrolled through. Who could she call? Mom? Hell no. John? Absolutely not. That's just as bad as calling Mom. Erwin? Eh...maybe. She had no one to call. No friends. Cat was her only friend. Jade began to put the pieces together slowly. While pushing Jade to the floor, Cat must've thrown some CD's in her purse. Maybe she should tell the man this...just as she was about to say something, the door opened and two tall police officers walked in. The first one wrapped his arm around Jade. The second one asked the shopkeeper some questions. The officer led Jade out to the car. She sat down and looked up at the man.

"Sir...who can I talk to to plead my case?" she asked pathetically. "I think my friend who I got in an argument with set me up." she said. The man shook his head and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. You might have to wait till we get to the station." he said quickly. Jade shook her head. She was in such deep shit.

**~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

David Vega sat on the couch. He leaned backwards and placed his feet on the mahogany coffee table. His wife Holly had told him numerous times not to put his feet on the table but he never listened to her. She was in the bathroom right now, putting ointment on the newest bruise he gave her this week. David's daughters Tori and Trina were upstairs. Tori was dating Beck Oliver, son of the richest investor and entrepreneur in the Santa Monica area. Trina was dating Beck's friend Andre as a way to validate the sick alliance David yearned for. Both girls were preparing to go on a date. Trina's car was in the shop and Tori couldn't drive so David was dropping them off at the Olivers' home for a dinner date. He was nervous because the girls would be meeting the family and he would probably would see Mr. Oliver. Finally the girls came downstairs. Trina was wearing a light blue dress and Tori was wearing dark jeans, brown boots with the heels (her favorite), a pink shirt and a brown jacket. David smiled with pride.

"You look beautiful." he said. Trina blushed.

"Why thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed. David chuckled.

"Well, I was talking to Tori, but you look nice too honey." he said. Trina just went 'oh' and stalked towards the door. He furrowed his eyebrows. "You better get rid of that attitude right now. What will the Olivers think of you?" he reprimanded. Trina threw her hands in the air.

"Why should I care? The Olivers aren't Andre's parents. Andre just has an old crazy grandma." she scoffed. Tori walked besides her sister and placed an arm around her.

"True, but I'm pretty sure Andre considers the Olivers like his family. He and Beck are really close." David nodded, grabbing his keys and headed towards the door.

"Your sister has a valid point. Now let's go. What example would we set if we're late?" he asked, flashing that charmful smile of his. The girls headed out to their father's Dodge truck. They all clambered in and hurried away. The Vega's house was nice but it wasn't nearly as nice as the Oliver's house. Their house sat on tons of beautifully landscaped land. The backyard was huge too and led down to the beach. A large pair of white gates opened up to a beautiful path that wound to the grand front steps of the house and led out, making the path a giant, wide round driveway. Once the truck rolled in front of the gate, David Vega pressed the button. A man's voice could be heard on the other side. He asked the identity and reason the visitors were there. David cleared his throat. "Hello. I'm David Vega. My daughters, Trina and Tori Vega, are here for a dinner date with the family." The doorman quickly unlocked the gates and David's black truck cruised down the way. Tori admired the flowers, water features and other landscapings in the Olivers' yard. This wasn't her first time at the house but she admired it every time like it was. David wasn't paying attention. He was worried how Mr. Andrew Oliver would think of him. Hopefully they would hit it off. When David finally pulled in front of the house and stopped, Tori immediately got out of the house.

"Well, thanks for dropping us off, Daddy. Beck and Andre will take us home by 11." she said, going in to kiss him. David pulled away and chuckled.

"Hold up there, darling. I'm going to escort my beautiful daughters to the door and maybe even meet your kind hosts." Trina groaned loudly.

"You're not going to eat dinner with us, are you?" she asked. Tori frowned at her sister, but inside, she was asking the same question. David laughed.

"I'm not planning on it. Your mother and I were going to go out to Nozu. We need our date nights too." he said. Trina recoiled and shjook her head.

"Too much info, Dad. Let's go, Tori." she said hurrying up to the door. By the time they got up the steps, the door opened. Beck and Andre were standing there. Trina kissed Andre and Tori kept her decorum in front of her father and just pecked Beck on the cheek. David came up behind the girls and cleared his throat. Trina sighed and faced her dad and Andre. "Dre, this is my father, David Vega. You may know him as the chief of police in Hollywood." she said. Andre reached out and shook David's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." David nodded. Beck reached out and shook David's hand too. Two older people came up from behind. David was waiting for them to come up. A tall skinny tan woman with bleach blonde hair walked forward. She didn't even struggle in her 10-inch black Fazzini heels. He could tell Trina was staring at them with awe but she didn't say anything. Mrs. Oliver pursed her red lips and shook the girls' hands dantily.

"I'm Mrs. Oliver. This is my husband Andrew." Andrew Oliver had dark hair, chiseled features, and looked like an older version of Beck. In a complimenting mood, David smiled and shook the Olivers' hands.

"So nice to meet you. As a matter of fact, it's an honor. I'm David Vega...Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, I can tell where your son gets his good looks!" People blushed all around. Andrew laughed and gestured for David to come in. They stepped into the modern contemporary house. David slid across the sleek floors and complimented the house as well. By now, Mrs. Oliver was gone into the kitchen with the rest of the teenagers. It was just David and Andrew. Exactly what he wanted. Andrew smiled.

"David Vega, you're just the man I wanted to speak to. Here, come into my office. Have yourself a seat." Mr. Oliver's study was just as stylish as the rest of the house. David sat down in a leather chair and looked around. Plaques and awards adorned the shelves and walls. Random books and pictures of achievements also were scattered across the office. "There you go. Make yourself comfy. Now, Mr. Vega, if I understand, you are the chief of Hollywood police." David nodded, reassuring he was.

"Well, now I have a proposition for you. I took it up with the zoning office and they wouldn't hear it. I was hoping you could have some pull for me." David grinned ear to ear, asking what he could do. Adrenaline ran through the police officer's veins. He was very eager and excited to help out the entrepreneur any way he could. Andrew chuckled and clapped David on the shoulder. "My kind of man, David. I proposed to the city to build a casino resort right on the beach. It would bring some tourism out towards Santa Monica. Not just California families wanting to come here. We would get a bunch of different, decent people. We need to expel this trash on our beaches. There's this one group of kids in particular that get on my last nerves. The one girl has bright red hair. The other two have dark hair and wear dark clothing. They do nothing but lower the property value of all the beach homes around here." Andrew complained. David rose his eyebrows. He knew exactly what kids Andrew Oliver was complaining about. David himself though wondered if a casoni resort directly on the beach near the Boardwalk is profitable and benefitable.

"Mr. Oliver, if those three kids are the source of the problem. I assure you, the police department can do something about them. I'll do it personally." he said quickly. Andrew laughed again.

"It's not the kids themselves. I have children myself as you do, David. We all were teenagers once, yearning to break away from society. I have two children, well three if you cound Andre. Poor boy's over here all the time because of his crazy grandma...I digress...what I'm saying is that the trash and poor morals those kids represent will be the downfall of Santa Monica. Our beach community is capable of so much more but nobody can see it except me..." he trailed. David sat up straight.

"I can see the potential Santa Monica has. I'll-I'll-what do you say you give me your proposition and I'll present it myself. I'll make _sure_ it goes through." David said eagerly. Andrew grinned and rubbed his fingers together.

"Good..."


	6. Deception

**I have so been neglecting all my stories. xD I really apologize. But anyways, thank you to the reviews, and the favorites and all that jazz. You guys are the greatest. I own nothing except the neat little concept. I'm not Nicholas Sparks or Dan Schneider. Enjoy. =) **

Jade sat at the police department. She was in this little uncomfortable metal folding chair. A giant light blinded her. Police officers were outside the room, talking in hushed whispers. Within a few seconds, a door opened. An older man with curly dark hair stood there. He was rather dressed up though. Instead of a blue police uniform, the man is wearing a dress shirt, khakis and fancy shoes. Jade snidely remarked about the man's clothes. He said nothing and brushed a hand through his hair. He was studying her appearance. Jade could just tell. She knew how cops acted by now. He sighed and pursed his lips. He didn't seem the happiest to be here. And without reason. David Vega was supposed to be having a quiet, fun date night with his wife Holly at the local sushi restaurant Nozu. He was called in on emergency to deal with Jade Sikowitz-West, as she insisted to be called.

"My name's David Vega. Chief of police around here." he introduced himself, holding out his hand. She didn't respond; he brought his hand back. "You realize stealing is wrong, right? I've been talking to quite a few people. They say you're not a first-time offender." Jade grunted she wasn't. "Then why would you do it? You're from New York. You seem like a woman who can make her own money." Jade rolled her eyes.

"I didn't do it. I had an argument with this one girl because she thought I stole her boyfriend. She pushed me to the floor. She knew I had a record. She must have done it. Ask the dude that works here. I'm sure he saw us fight." Chief Vega looked up and stared at Jade.

"I'll look into it. What was the girl's name?" Jade paused and her face paled. "Come on. You can tell me." he said gently. She sighed.

"Caterina Valentine." David rose his eyebrows. He knew exactly who Cat Valentine was. She was a derelict girl with no discipline and no virtue. She hung out with guys and just seemed like a girl that didn't obey authority or want to do anything productive or white-collar with her life. She hung around Ryder Daniels and Danny Fragola, two boys that frequently gave the police chief a headache. She was among the kids that Andrew Oliver wanted expelled from the beaches, to make way for his casino resort. David nodded and looked around. Jade continued. "We were friends...I thought. She called me a whore because Ryder dumped her for me. I tried to tell her I didn't like him but she wouldn't listen." Jade continued. David rose a hand for her to stop.

"I get it. I'll look into it. You're still in a lot of trouble though. This might even mean jail time." Jade's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Jail time?! But I just told you I didn't mean to do it! I was set up!" she yelled. He stood up, telling her to calm down. "I won't calm down! I just told you everything and you still won't listen!" He waved his hands.

"I am listening, but you still _stole_ the CDs technically. Prosecution is necessary." he turned on his heel to make his way out of the interrogation room. "I recommend calling your lawyer and maybe your father. I'll let you out of here for now...but we'll have to go over the minute details with your attorney. What is his name?" he asked. Jade mumbled 'George Watson.' "And he's from New York City?" he asked. Jade nodded. "Okay." he opened the door and left. Before he went around the corner, he stuck his head back in and stared at her. "Move along now." That was a direct command. Jade wasn't going to wait for the chief to change his mind. She got up and quickly made her way out of the station. She decided to take a walk down the beach, to avoid going home. She didn't have anywhere to go or anything to do. Unfortunately, she had to run smack into her dad and little brother. Upon seeing Jade, Luke ran up the beach towards her, a goofy grin plastered across his face. Jade grimaced as he sidled alongside her. She wasn't exactly the most affectionate person. He didn't seem to care.

"Jade, Jade, Jade!" he squealed. "Dad took me down to the water and there was this giant nest of turtle eggs." Jade rose her eyebrows, barely impressed. However she threw a ruse for Luke. He seemed entertained and excited. Erwin walked up from behind, his bare feet making prints in the sand. "Do you want to see? Do you, do you, do you?!" he asked. Jade mumbled 'sure'. Luke pumped the air with his fist. "Yes! Come on!" he yelled, grabbing Jade's hand and running down the beach. The sun was setting, making for a beautiful scene. The orange rays of light bounced off the water and reflected what seemed to be a nest near the tide. "See it?!" he yelled. Jade saw it. But she also saw something else. She wrenched out of her brother's grip and ran towards the nest, yelling and waving her hands wildly. Luke wondered what Jade was doing and walked over. That's when he saw it too. A black and gray raccoon scurried away from the nest, luckily with nothing in his paws. Luke yelled too and the raccoon disappeared. Jade sighed with relief and turned to her brother.

"That was a close one." she muttered. Luke nodded.

"It was." Erwin Sikowitz came running up from behind, his bare feet all filthy now.

"Good Gandhi! What's going on here?" he asked. Luke nearly sprinted over.

"Dad, you won't believe it! I went to show Jade the nest and there was this huge raccoon! She ran over and scared it away. She saved those babies!" Jade said nothing and placed her hands on her hips. Erwin walked forward and awkwardly placed a hand on both of his kids' shoulders.

"Oh really? How interesting. Jade, you seem awful concerned about those turtles..." he trailed. "So you _do_ have a compassionate side?" he inquired. Jade whacked her father in the stomach and told him to shut up. He groaned a little but laughed. She rose his eyebrows and asked him if he was okay. She didn't hit him that hard. "I-I'm fine...haha...yeah I'm okay." Luke wandered to pick seashells down the beach. Erwin seized this opportunity to talk to Jade. "Chief Vega called me. I know what happened." she turned and stared at him with an aghast expression. "Yeah." he said.

"Do you have to tell Mom? She'll have a bird." she asked desperately. He chuckled.

"Of course I do. She's your mother. Meanwhile, I suggest you keep it low for a while. Not wander around as much. Maybe...maybe spend some time with me." he said. Jade rolled her eyes.

"Why would I want to spend time with you?" she turned on her heel and walked towards the beach. "Don't push your luck, old man. It'll take me a while to get used to you." she said. As her figure faded in the distance, Erwin smiled. Old man...that was a start.

**~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#**

Beck Oliver and Andre Harris were eating a peaceful dinner with their girlfriends. Tori and Trina were being charming and pretty as usual. Beck's mother Frances was dropping the occasional question or two. Beck was getting worried when he noticed his father was in his study with Mr. Vega for a while. Beck didn't get the best vibe from the man. He seemed fishy to the teenager, despite him being the father of his girlfriend. He was a little embarassed because his mom was asking very personal questions to Tori and Trina. Frances had asked both girls extensive questions about college and what not. It seemed like no matter what the girls said, Mrs. Oliver didn't approve. Beck was very thankful when his father came back out and sat down.

"Excuse my absence, ladies. I was in an important conference with Chief Vega." Beck swore that the girls exchanged some kind of knowing glance. He blew it into the back of his brain. Frances rose her eyebrows.

"About what, Andrew?" she asked. "You know how much I despise you dragging work into your leisurely affairs." she said. Andrew Oliver waved her away and smiled heartily.

"Oh, Frances! Always so serious! It never hurt anyone to talk business." he said. She narrowed her eyes and mumbled they would talk about it later. Andrew turned to the Vega daughters. "Well, Ms. Vega and Ms. Vega, tell me. What do you want to be when you're older?" Tori paused shortly and said she would like to be a teacher. Beck had no idea. Trina said she wanted to be a super star. Andre and Beck stifled a chuckle. The older girl spun around and glared at the boys.

"What? You don't think I could make it in Hollywood?!" she exclaimed. Andrew blushed while Frances got up and walked away from the table, into the parlor. Andre tried to calm Trina down, telling her they didn't mean that. Beck said nothing and wrapped his arm around Tori's shoulder. The dinner unfortunately passed by very slowly. When it was finally finished, Andre, Trina, Tori and Beck walked in the backyard. A small river ran gently behind the large grounds of the backyard. They held hands and kissed near the river. Trina and Tori eventually had to go home. Andrew Oliver had a limousine drive them back. Andre left too. Beck was alone with his parents. He decided to ask his father what Chief Vega said. Andrew was in his study when Beck knocked on the door. The older man leaned back and chuckled.

"Come in!" Andrew said. The door opened and Beck came in. "Sit down, Beck!" he offered. Beck sat down in a chair across from his dad. Andrew fidgeted with his mustache and smiled. "What can I do for you, son?" he asked. Beck put his head down and gave his dad his 'serious eyes'.

"I wanted to tell you something...will you get mad at me?" Andrew shook his head, saying absolutely not. "Alright. Well, I have a bad feeling about Chief Vega. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. What were you two talking about?" Andrew paused and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I wonder where you get your suspicions. I won't exactly question you about it. We were speaking about my latest project. You know, the one about the casino resort on the beach. I asked Chief Vega if maybe he could have some pull when it came to the building permits." he explained. Beck furrowed his eyebrows. He knew it. A catch. Beck shook his head, telling his dad he shouldn't have done that. "Why not?" he asked. Beck placed a hand firmly on his father's mahogany desk.

"Because, Dad. If Chief Vega does this for you, he'll expect you to do something for him in return." he said sternly. Andrew Oliver scoffed.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked. Beck shrugged.

"I don't know, Dad. I told you...I just have a strange feeling about Chief Vega. Just watch it, okay?" Mr. Oliver asked Beck if he had proof. Beck soulfully shook his head.

"Then don't accuse a man if you don't have valid proof." Mr. Oliver's tone had changed from fun, happy and bubbly to stern and disciplining. "Now please get out. I have important work to do, regarding the casino resort. I cannot be disturbed." Beck got up and slowly walked out of the office obediently, without saying another word to his father.


End file.
